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Saving Israel’s environment

photo - Israel’s Hula Valley is a major stopping place for migrating birds

Israel’s Hula Valley is a major stopping place for migrating birds. (photo by D.J. Tiomkin) Jay Shofet, the director of partnerships and development for the Society for the Protection of Nature in Israel (SPNI), presented an overview of the broad range…

Pandemic rouses memories

image - Simon Fraser University’s Prof. Lauren Faulkner Rossi, left, interviews child survivor Marie Doduck in a Zoom presentation Nov. 5

Simon Fraser University’s Prof. Lauren Faulkner Rossi, left, interviews child survivor Marie Doduck in a Zoom presentation Nov. 5. (screenshot) For some survivors of the Holocaust, the COVID pandemic has brought back the traumas of the past. Marie Doduck spoke…

How Nazis stole assets

screenshot - Prof. Chris Friedrichs speaks at the annual Kristallnacht Community Commemoration, on Nov. 9

Prof. Chris Friedrichs speaks at the annual Kristallnacht Community Commemoration, on Nov. 9. (screenshot) Under the Nazi regime, almost all personal property and wealth owned by German Jews was either explicitly confiscated or, in the case of bank accounts, effectively…

Trying to protect cyberspace

As the use of the internet has grown, so has the need to protect data stored online, as well as prevent an organization’s website or social media platforms from being hacked. Since COVID-19 has hit, that need has increased manifold,…

Rebuilding Volozhin Yeshivah

photo - Volozhin Yeshivah in Belarus, 2017. In learning about the institution, Mark Weintraub was moved to sponsor a lecture on it, in honour of his mother, and to champion restoration efforts

Volozhin Yeshivah in Belarus, 2017. In learning about the institution, Mark Weintraub was moved to sponsor a lecture on it, in honour of his mother, and to champion restoration efforts. (photo by Da voli) “How did I not know about…

Medical myth-busting

photo - Medical myth-buster Dr. James McCormack speaks Nov. 22 via Zoom

Medical myth-buster Dr. James McCormack speaks Nov. 22 via Zoom. (photo from too-much-medicine.com) Dr. James McCormack is a bit of an anomaly as a voice in today’s medical debates. In a politically driven climate where most people tend to stand…

Reckoning with family’s past

photo - Writer and illustrator Nora Krug spoke with the Globe and Mail’s Marsha Lederman at a virtual event Oct. 27

Writer and illustrator Nora Krug spoke with the Globe and Mail’s Marsha Lederman at a virtual event Oct. 27. (photo by DW Deutsche Welle) The first time Nora Krug heard the word “Jew” was in elementary school during religion class, which…

Nature in Israel talk

On Nov. 19, the Jewish Community Centre of Victoria will host a webinar dedicated to Nature Israel (Society for the Protection of Nature in Israel, SPNI) and the organization’s role in addressing Israel’s environmental challenges. For more than 60 years,…

Reaching younger Jews

image - Rebirthing Ourselves to Rebuild Our World cover

Madison Slobin wrote a guide on the Jewish ritual of mikvah because she wants to help people navigate and change our world. Madison Slobin appeared in the pages of the Jewish Independent a few months ago for two projects she…